Determination of Dielectric Properties of Cryoprotective Agent Solutions with a Resonant Cavity for the Electromagnetic Rewarming in Cryopreservation

In the rewarming process during cryopreservation, preventing ice recrystallization and thermal stress is important, especially for large tissues and organs. Uniform and rapid heating is essential in ameliorating the problem and maintaining the viability of cryopreserved biological samples. Currently, the most promising method is heating by application of electromagnetic (EM) waves, the effectiveness of which is dependent on the dielectric properties (DP) of the cryopreserved materials. In this work, the cavity perturbation method was adopted to measure the DP of cryoprotectant solutions. Based on the values of DP, the cryoprotectant solutions most amenable to EM heating can be identified. A system composed of a rectangular resonant cavity, a network analyzer, and a fiber optic temperature meter was implemented for the measurement. The DP of three cryoprotectant solutions during cooling to -80 degrees C were measured and presented. The data can be used to optimize the rewarming process with the numerical method. The results show that a cryoprotectant solution consisting of 41% (w/v) dimethyl sulfoxide and 6% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone has the highest dielectric loss for EM rewarming among the tested solutions. In addition, the developed DP measurement system could not only improve the EM heating in cryopreservation but also benefit hyperthermia or other therapies associated with EM waves.